Born of Magic: Gargoyle Masters, Book 2 (11 page)

She finally fell asleep when the moon was high in the sky, and dreamt of being in Wynn’s arms.

Once again she was awakened by a light sound, but this one differed from the last. She sat up and looked into the shadows as the sun’s rays barely crested the horizon. Dawn. Her test had begun.

Still fully clothed, she stood and walked into the shed to grab a short sword. Then she hefted a bag of arrows on her back and grabbed a long bow. She returned to the door and stepped out into the chill morning air, wishing she’d grabbed her cape.

Footsteps sounded in the woods facing the shed door and she waited to see which wizard would greet her, but the shape pushing through the brush was too large. Massive shoulders shook the leaves from the bushes as a gargoyle in full fighting form emerged. Wynn stepped out and faced her, a scowl on his handsome face.

“Wynn? I thought I wouldn’t see—”

He growled low in his chest, but loud enough to scare the birds from the trees.

Then he charged.

Chapter Eleven

The days stretched slowly and the road seemed to last into eternity, but Theda couldn’t find it in herself to care. She watched the man beside her from the corner of her eye, taking in his overwhelmingly masculine presence.

She still couldn’t believe he seemed so enamored of her…or her body at least. Every night since their first night together had been heaven. He was a patient and attentive lover, always seeming to give more than he received. She did everything she could to reciprocate, and hoped he enjoyed her as much as she enjoyed him.

They seemed to get along when not in a bed as well, a rare occurrence for her with any man. He talked at length about Halstrid, Ilstred, and the people he protected, but rarely mentioned the King. She wondered about that but didn’t ask why. Just thinking about her father made her stomach tremble.

They came upon a stream and stopped to rest. Kephas removed Triton’s saddle and set it on the ground for her to sit upon while he allowed the stallion to drink and graze. Giga frolicked in the grass nearby.

“Are you hungry?” Kephas asked.

“No, not really. We had a large breakfast.”

He grinned at the memory. Their breakfast had included fruit that he had eaten off her breasts.

“Yes,” he replied. “Breakfast was quite a treat.”

She looked away to hide her smile and he chuckled.

“You really do indulge in—”

Her words were cut off as a large animal burst through the tall grass and pounced on an unsuspecting Giga.

“Giga!” she screamed.

Kephas drew his sword but she was closer. On instinct she raised a hand and sent a blast of fire toward the odd creature. It moved too quickly and her flame missed, hitting a patch of dry grass instead.

“Oh gods, no.”

“Put that fire out while I fight it,” Kephas said as he ran past her.

Giga struggled against the creature, which was at least four times its size. The pair rolled away from the flaming grass and Kephas began hacking through the thing’s hard shell. Theda ran to the burning grass and stomped on it as fast as she could. Luckily only a small patch had lit and it didn’t seem to be spreading very quickly. After a few heart-pounding minutes she finally snuffed out the last ember. She looked around at the scorched earth in dismay, coughing on the smoke that met her.

“Are you all right?” Kephas asked.

She turned to find him standing over the dead creature, his sword sticking out from its chest. Giga sat just behind his boots, peeking out at her with one eye.

“Y-yes…fine. Giga?”

“Giiiigaaaaa. Goooooood.”

Kephas smiled. “Looks like you’re both all right.”

She nodded and looked around at the mess she’d made. “But look what I’ve done.”

“Yes. We need to discuss your affinity for magic.”

She turned and headed for the creek, unsure of what to say or how to say it. She had very little magic and every time she used it she always seemed to make things worse. Her mother had convinced her it wasn’t worth it to even try, but sometimes it simply flew out of her like a bird from its cage.

“Did your mother have the ability to call fire as well?”

She ignored him for a moment and knelt at the edge of the stream. He waited until after she had washed her hands and face before quietly sitting beside her.

“Yes,” she finally said. “But she was a healer too. She had the ability to do good with her magic. While I… No good ever seems to come from what I can do.”

“Did she train you to use it?”

“No, not really. The village where we lived was full of superstitious people. We tried to hide it as much as possible.”

“Ah.”

She looked at him. He sat with his arms wrapped around his knees as he watched the clouds pass overhead.

“What?”

“You need to learn how to use the magic running through your blood. It doesn’t serve you well because you can’t control it. It controls you. We’re heading to a land of wizards, Theda. The Twenty are the most magical beings in all of Lenara. Any of them could easily train you.”

It was a grand idea. If her father didn’t order one of them to kill her first.

* * * * *

Two weeks later, Theda saw the gates of Halstrid rise before her. A lump formed in her belly. She was going to be sick, and the movement of the horse beneath her wasn’t helping. She pulled Triton’s reigns and he dutifully stopped, allowing her to slide to the ground.

“What is it?” Kephas asked.

He was the most attentive man she’d ever met. No sooner could she shiver than he’d have a blanket around her shoulders. If she made a single odd sound he was there to check on her. Nothing escaped his notice where she was concerned. Not even her own mother had treated her so. It overwhelmed her at times.

“Nothing. I…don’t feel well.”

They’d been traveling for weeks, taking their time to get to Halstrid. He’d insisted they stop at an inn every night to rest. Even in Keva, where all the women seemed to know him, he remained at her side and tended to her as though she was royalty. Of course, she
was
royalty, but he didn’t know that. He treated her as a companion, and she’d spent every night in his arms. Would that change when he learned the truth?

Nervousness ate at her when she thought of her father and the meeting ahead. Should she confess to Kephas now that she was the runaway princess? Would he be forced to imprison her, or worse, kill her? Too many unknowns held her tongue as she rubbed a hand over her belly to ease the ache.

Her rash decision to journey here now seemed like the worst choice she could have made. Fear of being alone had prompted her initially, along with anger over whatever her father had done to cause her mother’s need for escape. But now she was at a loss as to how she should proceed. The ever aware Gargoyle watched her and immediately grabbed his waterskin from his saddlebag.

“Here, drink.”

She shook her head. “No. Thank you. I won’t be able to hold even that down, I fear.”

He kept the water in hand as they continued toward Halstrid. Triton needed no prompting to remain at their sides and Giga followed along the edge of the road. Amazingly the little creature had found them again and again, every time they left a populated area, and seemed content to stay with them. Once in Halstrid she didn’t know what would happen to him.

“Will there be a place for Giga in Halstrid?” she asked.

Giga’s head jerked her way, its small pink tongue hanging out as it panted.

“If he remains with us into the city, I’ll make certain he’s welcome in my home. My brothers won’t mind.”

“That’s good. I’d feel bad about abandoning him on the road…once I find where I’m going.”

A thick brow went up but he made no comment. They continued on in silence.

Her thoughts were a whirlwind of every piece of information her mother had let slip over the years. The Queen had felt imprisoned by her King, despite being treated well. They’d fought often in the privacy of their rooms, but after one heated argument in public he had demanded she remain in the castle.

That had been her breaking point and, while the King had been in council with the Twenty, she had bundled Theda up, running off into the night. Theda didn’t know any more details than that of the night they left. Had her mother been considered a traitor to the realm?

From the corner of her eye she watched Kephas, who appeared to take in everything around them. Though he seemed more relaxed this close to Halstrid he was still on his guard. She was considering how to break the silence when flapping wings echoed through the trees. She looked ahead as two large men dropped from the sky to land before them. Their gray skin instantly changed to human tones. With a gasp she reached for Kephas. He took her hand but had a smile on his face.

“Brothers.”

“Kephas, you’ve returned from your quest.”

Both men matched Kephas in height and girth yet looked completely different. The speaker had golden brown hair cut short, but not shorn to his head. His hazel eyes assessed Theda as if she might be an enemy, but she sensed no aggression from him otherwise. The other man had eyes the color of spring grass and flaming red hair. He also had a ready smile on his face as he looked her over.

“You were successful?” he asked.

Kephas wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “This is Theda. We met on the road and I guided her back to Halstrid to find her father. Theda, these are two of my eleven brothers. This is Adalstan and Petros.”

“Nice to meet you,” she mumbled.

Adalstan, the grimmer looking of the two, simply nodded. The red-headed Petros stepped forward and held out his hand. When she took it he raised hers to his mouth and kissed the back with a twinkle in his eye. Kephas growled and pulled her from Petros’ grasp. That seemed to amuse both of his brothers.

“We’re traveling to the castle now so she can rest. Then we’ll make inquiries about her father,” Kephas said.

“And the King? Should we send word you’ve returned?” Adalstan asked.

She stiffened but didn’t pull away. Kephas shook his head.

“Not yet.”

His brothers both nodded before turning back to stone. Large gray wings spread from their backs and they leapt into the sky. A gasp escaped as she craned her neck to watch them move against the clouds until they flew out of sight.

“I never imagined such a thing,” she whispered.

The awe in her voice stilled Kephas when he should have urged her to walk on. They were mere paces away from the Southeastern gates of Halstrid. He’d brought her on a route that would ensure they met little to no traffic. Though they hadn’t seen any trouble on the road other than the single beastly encounter, he was eager to get her into the realm where he could better ensure her safety.

He hadn’t missed her reaction to Adalstan’s mention of the King. What had caused it? Perhaps her mother had filled her head with stories of a cruel king who trapped her in her bedroom and refused to listen to her pleas? He truly didn’t know what had transpired between the King and Queen, but he knew the King had never beaten her or mistreated her in public. At least his brothers had caught on quickly and not mentioned anything further about his mission.

The gargoyles had spent little time around the Queen when she’d lived in the castle and Kephas barely remembered her. Looking at Theda now, he couldn’t imagine ever forgetting her beautiful face. Her mouth turned up in a radiant smile as she watched his brothers fly off, and he wanted her to look at him that way. He stowed his waterskin back in the saddle bag and whipped off his cloak, tossing it over Triton’s saddle.

“Want to try it?” he asked.

She kept her attention on the sky but the smile faded as his brothers disappeared from her line of vision.

“Try what?” she asked.

“Flying. I can take you up, if you’d like.”

That jerked her attention back his way. “Truly? You…you wouldn’t mind?”

“Of course not. I enjoy holding you in my arms.”

She blushed and he stepped closer to run a hand over her hair.

She nibbled on her bottom lip. “You don’t have to support my weight when we’re on the ground or…in bed.”

He chuckled and pulled her into his arms. “You’re light as a feather, Theda. I assure you, it will be no strain at all.”

She made a noise of disagreement and he laughed. Then he took on his gargoyle form before wrapping his arms more securely around her. “Hold onto my shoulders.”

As soon as he felt the grip of her small hands he leapt into the air. She cried out in surprise before a deep laugh erupted from her. The joy and wonder of it arrested him and he nearly forgot to flap his wings.

“Kephas!”

He grinned as they dropped a foot before he began to fly. He took her up to the lowest clouds and then rolled onto his back to glide with her resting on his chest. She laughed and laughed as she released his shoulders and put her arms out as if she was the one flying.

“By the Gods. This is amazing!”

Never before had a woman looked at him with so much appreciation and joy on her face. It was a memory he planned to treasure for the rest of his days.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“No. I could stay up here forever.”

He chuckled and she frowned.

“If I get too heavy then you must go back down. I don’t want to tire you.”

That made him frown. “I already told you, you’re light, Theda. I could fly three of you around all day and night.”

She finally smiled again and took in the sights.

All too soon Kephas landed beside Triton again. Giga lounged in the dirt a few paces away and watched them with little interest. Theda laughed, though her cheeks and belly hurt from all she had already done in the sky. Kephas released her but didn’t step away as his gargoyle form became human. She felt his skin change against hers, a most remarkable thing to experience.

“I’m glad you enjoyed that,” he said.

“Oh yes, thank you.” She hugged him tight. “It was wondrous.”

When she tried to pull away he kept his arms around her. Then he kissed her with a low growl. What did it mean when he made such sounds? He didn’t seem to be angry. And though he’d done the same before, she wasn’t naked now. Their kiss ended and he stepped back, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m very glad you enjoyed it. Perhaps we can fly again soon.”

“I would like that.”

He took Triton’s reigns and nodded to the gates of Halstrid. “We’re nearly there. Ready to see my home?”

Was she? Not quite, but there would be no going back now. So she lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. “Yes. Yes, I am. But what about Giga?”

The odd creature trotted over to them at the sound of his name and sat looking up at her.

Kephas crouched down and patted his head. “Giga, you can come with us, but you’ll have to stay close. Do you understand?”

He nodded. “Gigaaa. Clossssse. Giga. Staaaaay.”

Kephas glanced at her. “We’ll have to trust he understands.”

She nodded in agreement though she was still concerned. Kephas took her by the hand and led their little band toward the large open gates. They stood unguarded, which she thought odd until one of his brothers landed atop the wall on one side. Petros waved to them and Kephas nodded as they entered Halstrid.